Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
On Dolls
Made of room-service napkins and shopping bags, by Sasha Pivovarova. via The NY Times Style Magazine.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
On The Convenience Kings And Their Rollercoaster Of A Concert
Kings of Convenience played in DC last night, supported by a Californian band they hand-picked to tour with them called "Franklin For Short". This was the definition of a "feel good" event, and here are, in detail, the reasons why:
8:14pm
Erlend Øye from KOC introduces himself and then Franklin For Short, telling the audience that they chose Franklin because they play beautiful music and are nice people. If you are unfamiliar with concerts, I'll tell you that the main act NEVER addresses the audience before and about the supporting act.
8:15pm
Franklin For Short play beautiful, unpretentious folk-y music, which, sadly, their recordings on Myspace don't do any justice to (BUT, do please check out my favourite song of theirs from last night called "Kaleidoscope Eyes" here. It reminds me of beach-front summers in Australia. "Until the Twilight" is also very beautiful, if you can find it). The lead singer thanks KOC for a wonderful tour and all members of Franklin stop tuning their guitars to clap and nod their heads in agreement with him.
9:03pm
Franklin wraps up and tells the loudly cheering audience to check out their new record, which he is proud to call a "record", because it is, in fact, a record.
9:32pm (2 mins after the scheduled time of performance)
The Norwegian duo come out, pick up a guitar each, and apologize for making us wait. They play a beautiful acoustic set which lasts about 40 minutes and sounds identical to their recordings. In fact, Eirik Bøe, the lead singer and more serious King of Convenience, sang with so much precision that it was kind of eerie, albeit beautiful. The experience was not unlike the feeling one gets in Scandanavia or in/around Scandanavian surroundings--everything is so organised and at such a high qualitative standard that it is simultaneously breathtaking and borderline mechanical and unsettling. I guess I am suggesting that perhaps it is a cultural peculiarity to strive to perform as closely to a recording as possible. I haven't seen and heard enough Scandanvian musicians to conclude affirmatively.
Øye, the goofier "King", was quite chatty and alternated between guitar and piano, periodically dancing flailingly around the stage. Moreso once Franklin joined them on stage to play more upbeat songs like "I'd Rather Dance With You".
10:45pm-ish
Audience cheers and claps for an encore, and the duo oblige, reverting back to the sombre songs "Misread" and "Homesick". Øye calls Franklin back on stage to play a song they had been trying out as an encore song but hadn't performed yet, and the two bands nail Simon and Garfunkel's "You Can Call Me Al". All members of both bands stand in a line with their arms around each other to bow for the cheering crowd. They seem so fraternal together that it feels to me like they are best of friends that do things like cook together and call each other up for girl advice. (For a description by Franklin of how they met, read here.)
11:05pm
Øye thanks the audience for being the best audience on the tour yet, and as a reward, announces that he will DJ for an hour or two if we all stick around. A third of the audience clear out, but the venue still feels quite full.
11:20pm
The stage is cleared and a laptop and mixing deck are brought out. Øye's first song is Daft Punk's "Harder Better Faster Stronger". The drummer and lead singer from Franklin join him on stage and the three jump around while the crowd goes wild and lets loose with them. Bøe has disppeared it seems, and is nowhere to be seen for the rest of the evening.
Other songs played included Phoenix's "If I Ever Feel Better", a Prince song I don't know, more Simon and Garfunkel, and Cee-Lo's "I Wish". At the end of each song, Øye had everyone clap til the next song started in order to detract from the fact that there was no mixing of the songs. The last song he played, before handing over to Franklin's drummer, he introduced as "the song of 2009" and instructed that the lights be completely out for. The audienced swayed and sang along to Beyonce's "Halo", while Øye sang along on the mic and asked for "strobe lights!" at the dramatic end.
12:10pm
Jared and I left shortly after Franklin's drummer took over. Walking to our car, we noticed Øye walking out of the venue alone, across the road, and behind some parked cars on the street. He sat in the gutter with his head in his hands. He was unresponsive when people in front of us yelled out "BYE!!!", only lifting his head and then dropping it down again. I stopped in front of him on the other side of the road, perplexed as to why he seemed so down when minutes before, he was hopping about the stage.
On our way home, we brainstormed reasons why he may have needed alone time, including coming down from drugs, but dismissed it disbelievingly.
8:14pm
Erlend Øye from KOC introduces himself and then Franklin For Short, telling the audience that they chose Franklin because they play beautiful music and are nice people. If you are unfamiliar with concerts, I'll tell you that the main act NEVER addresses the audience before and about the supporting act.
8:15pm
Franklin For Short play beautiful, unpretentious folk-y music, which, sadly, their recordings on Myspace don't do any justice to (BUT, do please check out my favourite song of theirs from last night called "Kaleidoscope Eyes" here. It reminds me of beach-front summers in Australia. "Until the Twilight" is also very beautiful, if you can find it). The lead singer thanks KOC for a wonderful tour and all members of Franklin stop tuning their guitars to clap and nod their heads in agreement with him.
9:03pm
Franklin wraps up and tells the loudly cheering audience to check out their new record, which he is proud to call a "record", because it is, in fact, a record.
9:32pm (2 mins after the scheduled time of performance)
The Norwegian duo come out, pick up a guitar each, and apologize for making us wait. They play a beautiful acoustic set which lasts about 40 minutes and sounds identical to their recordings. In fact, Eirik Bøe, the lead singer and more serious King of Convenience, sang with so much precision that it was kind of eerie, albeit beautiful. The experience was not unlike the feeling one gets in Scandanavia or in/around Scandanavian surroundings--everything is so organised and at such a high qualitative standard that it is simultaneously breathtaking and borderline mechanical and unsettling. I guess I am suggesting that perhaps it is a cultural peculiarity to strive to perform as closely to a recording as possible. I haven't seen and heard enough Scandanvian musicians to conclude affirmatively.
Øye, the goofier "King", was quite chatty and alternated between guitar and piano, periodically dancing flailingly around the stage. Moreso once Franklin joined them on stage to play more upbeat songs like "I'd Rather Dance With You".
10:45pm-ish
Audience cheers and claps for an encore, and the duo oblige, reverting back to the sombre songs "Misread" and "Homesick". Øye calls Franklin back on stage to play a song they had been trying out as an encore song but hadn't performed yet, and the two bands nail Simon and Garfunkel's "You Can Call Me Al". All members of both bands stand in a line with their arms around each other to bow for the cheering crowd. They seem so fraternal together that it feels to me like they are best of friends that do things like cook together and call each other up for girl advice. (For a description by Franklin of how they met, read here.)
11:05pm
Øye thanks the audience for being the best audience on the tour yet, and as a reward, announces that he will DJ for an hour or two if we all stick around. A third of the audience clear out, but the venue still feels quite full.
11:20pm
The stage is cleared and a laptop and mixing deck are brought out. Øye's first song is Daft Punk's "Harder Better Faster Stronger". The drummer and lead singer from Franklin join him on stage and the three jump around while the crowd goes wild and lets loose with them. Bøe has disppeared it seems, and is nowhere to be seen for the rest of the evening.
Other songs played included Phoenix's "If I Ever Feel Better", a Prince song I don't know, more Simon and Garfunkel, and Cee-Lo's "I Wish". At the end of each song, Øye had everyone clap til the next song started in order to detract from the fact that there was no mixing of the songs. The last song he played, before handing over to Franklin's drummer, he introduced as "the song of 2009" and instructed that the lights be completely out for. The audienced swayed and sang along to Beyonce's "Halo", while Øye sang along on the mic and asked for "strobe lights!" at the dramatic end.
12:10pm
Jared and I left shortly after Franklin's drummer took over. Walking to our car, we noticed Øye walking out of the venue alone, across the road, and behind some parked cars on the street. He sat in the gutter with his head in his hands. He was unresponsive when people in front of us yelled out "BYE!!!", only lifting his head and then dropping it down again. I stopped in front of him on the other side of the road, perplexed as to why he seemed so down when minutes before, he was hopping about the stage.
On our way home, we brainstormed reasons why he may have needed alone time, including coming down from drugs, but dismissed it disbelievingly.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
On Live Music Is Best
Futureheads last night (with The Static Jacks and The Like).
The Like looked pretty but complained about their sound and then pouted all night; The Static Jacks are kids from New Jersey and their lead singer has a nice voice and Morrissey hair; Futureheads blew our minds:
Kings of Convenience tomorrow night:
The Like looked pretty but complained about their sound and then pouted all night; The Static Jacks are kids from New Jersey and their lead singer has a nice voice and Morrissey hair; Futureheads blew our minds:
Kings of Convenience tomorrow night:
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
On Colbert's DC gag
Here he is interviewing DC's congresswoman, Eleanor Holmes Norton.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Better Know a District - District of Columbia - Eleanor Holmes Norton | ||||
| ||||
On Blexbolex
Saisons, by French illustrator Blexbolex and Albin Michel Jeunesse, is a very beautiful book. Ours was purchased at the Palais De Tokyo on our honeymoon and is now my most prized coffee table book, mostly because of the amazing colour scheme.
Saisons from PATRICK MANENTI on Vimeo.
Saisons from PATRICK MANENTI on Vimeo.
Monday, May 24, 2010
On Thanks
For the feedback on I See DC. Glad you like it.
You can post comments on the photos too!
Love,
*Not me but this is ridiculously adorable. From A Cup of Jo (I think).
You can post comments on the photos too!
Love,
On Balls and Bases
On This Is Not A Poster For Race Unity
These kids grew up together in Israel. We caught up with them last week. From l-r: Youngest, Older, Oldest.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
On Magical Moments
**Dedicated to friends and family far away. But especially, for you, Po.**
Thursday, May 13, 2010
On Old
yet so remarkably relevant. I want to be that woman with the maroon blouse and hat.
Click on the pic:
Eugène Boudin
1824-1898
Figures on the Beach
Click on the pic:
1824-1898
Figures on the Beach
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
On Our Cousin Ghazaleh/Melody
As far as i'm concerned, she can have two names - nay, even five - so long as she continues with her way cool "i thought you might like this" emails.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
On I HATE FACEBOOK Part II
My friend Laily* sent me this article today, which you really should read, called: "Top Ten Reasons You Should Quit Facebook". Point #3 tells you how to delete, not just deactivate, your account. Hooray for that.
*Laily doesn't have a blog, so I can't link to her, but she should get one. To petition for a Laily blog, enquire within.
*Laily doesn't have a blog, so I can't link to her, but she should get one. To petition for a Laily blog, enquire within.
On I HATE FACEBOOK
And now I'm pretty sure my account has been hijacked. Ie see below (wtf?!??!)
Therefore, I deleted it. Win/win situation, really.
Therefore, I deleted it. Win/win situation, really.
On Vegematarians Part II
Don't eat your vegetables, make them.
Fabric vegetables by dutch designers Scholten & Baijings on display at Milan design week 2010.
Last 4 pics from here.
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